Building Crashes Into Street - Dramatic Footage

As the UK basks (sort of!) in the first bit of proper sunshine we have seen for months, the bad weather has moved further into Europe. A spectacular yet frightening video has emerged online showing the moment a ‘substantial chunk’ of a building came crashing down into the street due to extremely strong winds in Warsaw, capital city of Poland. The dramatic footage, filmed by an unnamed passer-by, has gone viral and is a stark reminder of how important it is to ensure your property is free from structural issues.

The strong winds had been building up in Warsaw, prompting weather officials to post warnings across the country. As the windspeed really got going, it began to loosen a corner of insulation, quickly widening the tear to reveal the plaster beneath. This then began to peel away from the multi-storey building along with the insulation, allowing more and more wind to get beneath.

It was at this point that the maker of the video footage noticed what was happening and, showing great presence of mind, started shouting warnings to other people in the area. It was a good job that he did so because, moments later, a massive panel, which was part of a rendered external wall insulation system, came completely loose, crumpled and smashed with terrific force into the street below.

Fortunately, there were no injuries caused by the shocking incident, mostly thanks to the passer-by giving advance warning. Three parked cars were badly damaged by the falling debris, which must now be fully cleared away from the area and the building restored to safety. It appears that the insulation fixing system was poorly designed - there was a shortage of EWI anchors at the building’s corner - and this, coupled with the strong winds, was responsible for the incident.

A spokesperson for Warsaw Police Force, Joanna Banaszewska, mentioned that there is a school and children’s playground very close by. “It was very lucky that nobody was hurt because it had happened while they (children) were around it could have been disastrous”.

Though the worst of the winter winds and snow have passed (we hope!), anyone who has lived in the UK for a certain amount of time is well aware of just how fickle our weather can be. There is never a bad time to make sure your house is fully protected from this changeable weather and Twistfix have everything you need to kit it out from top to bottom, inside and out, whether you are a professional construction and renovation contractor or a DIYer.